The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1887-09-21

spite of the plausible logic of Doodle legis-
latOrs, and the unanSWerable theories OF
noodle scientists and the bgoted prejudice
OF the poor. credulOuS, unsOphisticated sycO-
plants who adopt, with unqueStiOnng slac-
rity, the opinions and prejudices of every
smooth -tOngued Schemer whose dOgmas
bear sim ply the stamp OF plausbility. For
the springs of human action are just the
same to day as in the days when the Master
walked the earth, and opened the eyes of
Of the credulOus Jews to the whited sepul-
chers who were regarded with such rever-
ence and awe for their devotion to God and
their love of the Race. The Pharasees of
Jerusalem underestimated the penetration
of that humble travelling preacher who
entered the city with that great bowling
rabble from the provinces at his heels. But
with unerring intuition in reading the hearts
of men this great teacher lifted the veil OF
sanctOmOny and false devotion that covered
the base motives and taught the aston
iShed people (whO must have wondered that
they never saw it befOre) to ever afterwards
recognize the true character of Hin who
claimed to be without sin, and so readily
saw the mote in the eye OF another. 1t is
only the unsuccessful thieves who are in
prison. the successful thief (Which term, by
the way, apply to all who do not render a
just equivalent for value received) who has
surrounded himself with all the safeguards
of wealth and power, continues to skin the
public in thousands of forms of refined
modern robbery. l. will proceed to enum-
crate some of the polite forms of stealing
which has superseded the more clumsy
methods upon which the law (aS civiliZa-
tiOn advanceS) puts her ban. which spring
up again and again under more attractive
guiSeS, but always with the same results
robbery; always robbery. But the almighty
dollar aimed at by thieves of so many differ
ent degrees of intelligence. skill and social
surroundings. their methods must of neceS-
sty be diversified from the poorest and
most ignorant petty thief to the wealthest
and most erudite powers of the land. The
result still remains the same. There are
fewer highway rObberies to-day. because
public sentiment is against them; it is easier
and safer for thief to disguise himself as
a hotel keeper and charge eXorbitant rates
for eXecrable fare. A petty thief who rob-
bed a lady of her jewelry in the Fourth
Avenue tunnel in New York was sent to
prison for II : years for lack of artistic tai
lent in his profession. If he had robbed
three banks by embeZZlement he might have
escaped with half as long sentence. as
BOice, of Jersey City, did OH that same day.
Or if he had stolen like the thieves Of the
whisky ring he might have kept not only
his money, but his social standing. The
finest thieves of America are the great
commercial barOnS who crush all cOmpeti-
tors out OF existence and get perpetual
corner on some business or commodity, and
compel the nation to stand and deliver.
Those are the men who get together and
dictate the price of coal, or wheat, or oil, to
the world, and compel them to pay it.
This is not robbery to any one whose code
of morals is little off color. It's business.
and they are called smart. You had rather
be a smart thief than fool. But a thief
is fool. The folly of fools is deceit.
Nothing in the long run is SO great blum
der as wrong doing. Stealing by false
weights and measures is a favorite method
OF the real good retailers who would not
actually pick the pocket of their victim, but
if the right was given them to sell out the
great lakes by the quart they would cheat
in the measurement.
Stealing is fine art when applied in the
role of food adulteratiOns. We are hOrri-
fed at the account of some tiend trying to
murder whole family at once by putting
poison in their food; and what do you think
of good respectable men who deliberately sit
down and study out cheap pOisons and ad-
minister it to whole nations in their food
and drink. l will venture to say there is
not a thing that is used by civilized man
for food, drink or clothing that is not job
bed or dOctOred by these good people who
are Mortified at the very word crime. Some
good people who would not burglariZe